Automatic safety-stop for bottling-machines.



W. MEYER.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY STOP FOR BOTTLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1915.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

1 7W. w Q U W A. m W H w w A H E W NMQNHN H r m M an W. MEYER.

AUTOMAIILC SAFETY STOP FOR BOTTLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1915.

1 ,1 97,52? a Patnted Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Mimwmw:

an an an erron- WILLIAM MEYER, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, AssIeNon. or ONE-HALF 'ro' eus'revn WINDGASSEN, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY-STOP FOR BOTTLIN'G-MACHINES. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1216.

Application filed April 15, 1915. Serial No. 21,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MEYER,'21- citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Automatic Safety-Stops for Bottling-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic safety stop for bottle filling machines.

Heretofore, bottle filling machines of the type illustrated in the drawings, have been equipped with automatic safety stops, but these stops have merely consisted of an automatically operated lever and link connection with a tight and loose pulley or belt shifting device between the driving means and the machine. Such a means of connecting and disconnecting the machine from its driving means has proven too slow in operation, in that disconnection was not aflorded instantly and positively, therefore permitting the machine to continue moving until the inoperative parts became sprung or wedged to such an extent as to necessitate manual-operation of the machine back to the point where the cause of the trouble first occurred.

An object of my invention is to produce an automatic safety stop which will instantly disconnect the machine from its driving means in order to prevent breakage of bottles or machine parts should jamming automatic safety stop, showing its connection with the bottle filling and capping machines which are shown fragmentally in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a valve forming a detail of the automatic safety stop embodying my invention. Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of the valve illustrated in Fig. 3, but showing the valve in a different operative position.

The automatic safety stop embodying my invention comprises a clutch 3 located between and adapted to connect and disconnect the driving means 4 and the bottling machine 5, an air cylinder 6 operatively connected with the clutch, an air valve 7 adapted to control the operation of the cylinder 6, and a system of manually and automatically operated levers 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. The air valve 7 is connected with the air cylinder 6 by means of a pipe 13 which is adapted to conduct compressed air or other suitable operating fluid such as steam or water, to the cylinder 6, and the inlet port of the valve 1s connected with a supply pipe 14 communicating with a suitable source of fluid pressure supply. The cylinder 6 contains a piston rod 15 which is connected by means of a link 16 with one arm 17 of bell crank 18 pivotally mounted on the base 19 of the bottle filling machine 5: The other arm 20 of the bell crank 18 is connected with the movable member 21 of the clutch 3 by means of the usual yoke and grooved collar connection 22. The clutch member 21 is adapted to be normally held into engagement with the stationary clutch member 23 by means of a spring 242 which is attached to the arm 17 of the bell crank 18 andwhich is adjustably mounted at its opposite end 25 in a bracket 26 extending from the base 19 of the machine. The fluid pressure controlled by the valve 7 for operating the piston and plunger contained in the cylinder 6, is sufiicient to overcome the-tension of the spring member 23 of the clutch.

The valve is preferably one of the three way type and is adapted to control the admission of fluid pressure from the pipe 1 1 to the pipe 13 when it is moved to occupy the position show-n in Fig. 3, and to permit fluid pressure to escape from the pipe 13 and cylinder 6 when it is moved to occupy the position shown in Fig. 4, in which latter position the pressure is permitted to escape through the outlet 27, see Fig. 2. In order to operate the valve a bell crank lever 28 is connected with the valve stem 29 and is connected at its ends with the levers 10 and 11. The lever 11 is connected at one end 30 with 24 and'to cause withdrawal of the movable member 21 from the stationary,

forming a pivotal portion of the track leading from the bottle filling to the bottle capping machine. This lever 12 is held in its correct position normally by a spring 36. The free ends of the levers 8, 9, and 11 are formed with handles so that operators located on either side of the bottle filling and capping machines may at any time stop the operation of the machines by grasping the handles in order'to shift the valve 7 to permit air to enter the cylinder 6 for the purpose of withdrawing the clutch member 21 from the member 23. The inner ends of the levers 8 and 9 are connected withthe shift bar 37 of the capping machine 38 and are adapted to disconnect the capping machine from its driving means whenever the levers 8 or 9 are operated manually. At the same time, this operation will disconnect the bottle filling machine from its driving mechanism when lever 9 engages pin 10 in lever 10 to operate the valve 7, for the purpose of feeding bottles from the bottle filling to the bottle capping machine. However, were this connection with the valve 7 not provided, the backing up of the bottles between the guides 33 and 34 would cause operation of the automatic stop by operation of the valve 7 when the bottles engaged the lever arm 32 of the lever 12.

The construction of the valve 7 is of necessity somewhat different from the ordinary three way valve of the plug type, in that it is subjected to such a relatively small movement that it is necessary to construct the interior passages of the valve in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In the position illustrated in Fig. 3 the passage 39 of the plug is in communication with the inlet port of the valve casing, while one end of the passage 41 of the plug is in communication with the port 42 communicating with the pipe 13 and cylinder 6. It will be observed that the opposite end of the passage 41 is out of communication with the exhaust port 43 in the valve casing when the plug is in this position. When, however, the plug is brought to the position shown in Fig. 4, the lower end of the passage 41 is brought to register with the exhaust port 43 and a passage 44 located between passages 39 and 41, is brought into communication with the port 42 communicating with the pipe 13 and cylinder 6. In this position of the plug free exhaust of the pressure contained in the cylinder 6 and the pipe 13 is permitted through the exhaust casing.

In operation: "With the parts of the automatic stop occupying the positions shown in Fig. 2, the clutch members 21 and 23 are in engagement with one another and the shifter bar 37 is in such a position that both the bottle filling and bottle capping machines are in operative connection with their driving means. In this position, as previously stated the interior of the cylinder 6 and the pipe 13 are open to exhaust through the exhaust port 43 of the valve casing, and the plunger 15, bell crank 18 and clutch member 21 are under the influence of the spring 24. In addition to this the bell crank 28 connected with the valve stem 29- has been manually moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the valve plug has been port 43 of the valve brought to the position shown in Fig. 4.

IVith the parts in this position and with the machines in motion, the bottles as they are filled will be diverted by the pivotal arm 32 from the machine and into the track formed by the guides 33 and 34. Each time the bottles engage the pivotal arm 32 of the lever, the lever will yield slightly under the influence of the spring 36, but not enough to cause the lever arm 31 to engage the pin 11 adjacent to the end 30 of lever-11 to operate the valve 7. The purpose of this slight yielding motion of the lever 12 is to prevent the impact of the bottles against the lever from breaking them as they are diverted into the track guides 33, 34.

Motion of the machines will continue unless jamming of the bottles or stoppage of operation of certain portions of the mechanism shouldoccur. Such a jamming of the bottles adjacent to the bottle capping machine 38 or in the track guides 33 and 34 adjacent tothe pivotal end 32 of the lever 12 forming a portion of the guides 33 and 34 would cause the bottle filling machine toforce the arm 32 of the lever 12 to the left in the direction of motion of the rotating drum of the machine. This motion of the lever 12 would cause shifting of the bell crank 28 and consequent moving of the plug 29 to the position shown in Fig.- 3, to admit fluid pressure to the interior of the pipe 13 and cylinder 6 and thereby cause with drawal of the movable clutch member 21 from the stationary clutch member 23. This would instantly stop the operation of the machine and avoid breakage of any of its parts or jamming and breakage of the bottles mounted inthe machine. By this means the entire operatingmechanism of the bottle filling machine would be automatically stopped and breakage'of any portions of the machine or bottles would be positively prevented. After such a stop page of the machine the cause thereof would be remedied or removed and the machine would be again brought into operation by moving one of the handles formed on the free endsof the levers 10 and 11. Such a movement of the handles would cause shift ing'of the valve plug to the position shownin Fig. 4, thereby permitting exhaustion of the fluid pressure contained in the pipe 13 and cylinder 6. -\Vith the pressure removed, the spring 24 would exert its force to move the clutch member 21 into engagement with the member 23 and thereby start the operation of the bottle filling machine.

Although I have described my automatic stop device as being operated by compressed air I may also operate the device by other fluid pressure such as steam, water, etc. In addition to this the construction of the valve 7 as described is not absolutely essential, since 1 may provide any suitable valve mechanism which will perform the functions of admitting pressure to the cylinder 6 and of permitting the pressure to escape from the cylinder after communication with the pipe 14 has been out off.

\Vhat I claim is;

1. In combination in an automatic safety stop for bottling machines, a clutch, afluid actuated device comprising a cylinder, a piston and a piston rod reciprocally mounted in the cylinder, and operatively connected with the clutch, said device being adapted to withdraw the clutch when fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinder, a spring connected with the fluid actuated means and adapted to normally maintain the clutch in a clutch for connecting and disconnecting the machine and its source of power, a spring for normally maintaining the clutch in its engaged position, a fluid actuated device operatively connected with the clutch for withdrawing, the clutch upon admission of fluid to the device, a valve for controlling the admission and discharge of fluid from the device, and means operatively connected with the movable-portion of the way and the valve for causing the valve to admit fluid to the device to withdraw the clutch when 'the movable portion of the way is moved to an abnormal position by the bottles, and to permit return of the movable portion to its normal position without operation of the valve, whereby the valve will have to be manually restored to its normal position to permit discharge of the fluid from the fluid actuated device and consequent engagement of the clutch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7th day of April,

WILLIAM MEYER.

Witnesses:

.l/VALTER F. MURRAY, W. THORNTON BOGERT. 

